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probe on what problems or pain the client might be

experiencing. That might be sales trending downward

or new competitors emerging. I try to probe for big

problems where the stakes are high, because those

are the ones my client needs help with most, the ones

they value solving. Too many service providers focus

on small problems, but the client is less likely to take

action on those and their work is less likely to have a

big impact.

“To establish Point B, I’ll ask questions about their

goals. Goals themselves create problems because

if the goals aren’t met, the client will experience a

loss. So the client’s problem is either something they

are experiencing currently or something they will

experience if they don’t get to Point B. The value I

create for the client lies in closing the gap between A

and B and solving the problem.

“You gain an immense amount of clarity by

establishing the A and B points, but many service

providers don’t do it. That’s why I said my solution

would likely be different from the one you would

design. Without crystal clear alignment, you risk

designing something that doesn’t have as much value

for the client as it could.”

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